Why Is It Called Black Friday?

Black Friday is the ominous name given to the day after Thanksgiving (in the United States). This day is generally recognized among U.S. residents as the beginning of the year’s holiday shopping.

This is not an officially declared holiday, though some workers are given this day off as a regular part of their job benefits. Retail stores and other merchants begin preparing for holiday shoppers early, so that the stores and warehouses are prepared for this busy, busy Friday.

One of the traditions of Black Friday is the opening of stores at early hours. Many retail outlets and larger stores open at 5 a.m. or earlier.

In conjunction with this expansion of hours, the merchants lower prices on selected items in an attempt to draw shoppers in. Some have given the name a positive spin by noting that stores go from being in the “red” (operating at a loss) to being in the “black” (operating at a profit).

But there is much more to the history of Black Friday than this. According to some historical narratives the term dates back as far as the early 1920s and may be connected with huge retailer Macy’s and its flood of holiday shoppers. This is definitely the busiest shopping day of the year and merchants bring in a significant portion of their revenue in this one day.

Shoppers often line up at stores, beginning the night before, to have early access to the special sales items and bargains. When the doors open, the scene often resembles a stampede, as shoppers push, shove and even fight to get to certain products. There have even been a few serious injuries and deaths connected to this activity.

Encyclopedia information and marketing records show that the name “Black Friday” may date back to the late 1800s. However, some histories show that the term was generally used only from about 1965 on. In any case, the Philadelphia police may have originated the term and applied it to the Friday after Thanksgiving. The name was bestowed by police because of the massive automobile and foot traffic the day created. Hence the negative connotations of the word “black.”

It’s also thought that media coverage of the mobs at certain stores helped spread the common use of the term. The combined masses that headed out to shop and to attend sporting events caused many police departments to dread the coming of this particular Friday. In some cases, employees who handle steady shopping traffic throughout the year also dread Black Friday.

This term has survived for several decades, in spite of police departments and workers giving it both a negative spin. In contrast, store owners and company stockholders recognize Black Friday as one of the most important days of the year.

No matter what the real reason for assigning this term to one particular shopping day, retail associations note that this one day can literally bring some stores from the “red” into the “black” for the year. So, the term may have both meanings, positive – retail numbers, and negative – headaches for police and others.

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